By Dan Beard

Since snow is easily carved and modeled, there is no good reason why statues
of some merit should not replace the grotesque effigies which most men have
built during the day, of their boyhood. The better the work the more enjoyable
the occupation, the more fun there is in the doing of it.

In place of building a figure by sticking lumps of snow on to other lumps,
balls for eyes and ears and another for a nose, why not make a solid block of
snow and carve the face from it?

Suppose A (Fig. 445) to be a snow block, B then shows the first effects of
carving, C the next step, and in D we already have the semblance of a head and
bust; E begins to show some likeness to a well-known American, and F and G, Fig.
446 may be passed upon an unsuspecting public as a portrait of the Father of Our
Country.

In making this bust, remember and make the epaulets limp, mere bands of braid
and fringe on edge, for that is the kind were at that date--the upholstered
epaulets seen upon the statues in New York City, and elsewhere were not invented
until after Washington's death, and like the sword of 1861, which the bronze
Washington usually carries, are simply marks of the sculptor's ignorance or
carelessness.

If you make a snowman,

Make Him Right!

Of course there are many to whom these diagrams (A to G) will be of little
assistance, but even untrained eyes and unskilled hands can do a thing
mechanically, for that requires only care and patience. So, though you may not
be able to make anything more resembling Washington than the background figure
with a hat in Fig. 446, you may at least make a statue of the beast Washington
drove from his country (Fig. 447).

Build a solid snow block 7 squares long by 8 squares long by 8 squares high
and 4 squares broad. These squares may be of any size you find convenient, 6
inches or 1 foot, or greater or less. See the small diagram at bottom of Fig.
448. This block of snow should rest upon a rough base to elevate it above the
ground. With a board and rule or string and wooden pegs divide the snow block as
shown by Figs. 448 and 449. Take a print out of this diagram in the left hand, a
pointed stick in the right hand and sketch the outline of the lion.

Placing the point of the stick a trifle to the left of the middle of the
square (I, 2) and tracing a line through I to a point a quarter of the distance
from I to O and half way between the line A and I, thence perpendicularly down,
crossing the line A and swinging off diagonally to a point in the line O a
quarter distant between B and C, thence to a point on C a quarter distant from
line I, thence down diagonally to a point just to the right of I and above D,
and so on as shown in the diagram.

When this is done the artist will find that he has traced out a duplicate of
the diagram (Fig. 448). If he will now trace the heavy outlines of the front and
rear view shown by Fig. 449, he will have something to guide him in cutting away
the snow. The dotted lines show the first cuts to make on the profile view; but
it will possibly be wise for him to leave the front until the last so that the
outlines of front until the last so that the outlines of front view will be
there to guide him. These he may cut away on one side back to the front legs,
before he finishes the profile.

A few experiments will teach him how the thing is done, and if he makes a
mistake it may be rectified by plastering the snow back firmly in place and
trying it again.

There is a chunk of snow left between the legs to give stability to the
statue, and the legs are carved in high relief, but the snow is left under the
body for support. The texture of hair on the mane and head may be reproduced by
using a coarse comb.

The squares on the lion may have sides of 6 inches, 12 inches, or any
dimensions the would-be sculptor may choose so long as all sides are equal.

If these directions are followed, with a copy of this diagram in your hand
for reference, the result will no doubt be a surprise to your friends and a
proportional subject of pride to yourself.

After acquiring some skill, the beginner can take any picture man or woman ,
divide it into squares, and reproduce a creditable copy in snow.

A grotesque portrait can be modeled by marking the divisions, as described,
on the picture to be copied, but making them of unequal sides on the snow block;
for instance, if the sides are 16 inches broad and 10 inches high you will
elongate your subject to a ridiculous degree, and if the copy is made with
divisions 6 inches high and 10 inches wide, you will broaden the figure to a
laughable extent. In any case you will pass a few hours in a healthy outdoor
pursuit, and come indoors with red cheeks and an appetite which demands
immediate attention.

Search This Site:

Search Amazon.Com:

When you place an order
with Amazon.Com using
the search box below, a small referral fee is returned to The Inquiry Net to
help defer the expense of keeping us online. Thank you for your
consideration!

Old School Scouting:
What to Do, and How to Do It!

To Email me, replace "(at)" below with
"@"Rick(at)Kudu.Net

If you have questions about one of my 2,000 pages here, you must send me the
"URL" of the page! This "URL" is sometimes called the
"Address" and it is usually found in a little box near the top of your
screen. Most
URLs start with the letters "http://"

The purpose of this Website is to provide access
to hard to find, out-of-print documents. Much of the
content has been edited to be of practical use in today's world and is not
intended as historical preservation. I will be happy to provide
scans of specific short passages in the original documents for people involved in
academic research.